UITP at InnoTrans 2026
The 30th edition of InnoTrans brought the global rail community to Berlin, and UITP’s presence was felt throughout. Led by UITP President Gautier Brodeo and Secretary-General Mohamed Mezghani, the UITP delegation used the week to meet our members and other stakeholders, share our key messages with policymakers, and highlight knowledge from our projects and publications, all while building momentum towards our Summit in 2027 taking place in Hamburg.
From the UITP stand which we shared with our Local Host City, Hamburg, the team on the ground welcomed visitors from across the rail sector.
The Journey to Berlin with European policymakers
UITP’s journey to InnoTrans began before the doors even opened, on a special train from Brussels to Berlin the day prior. The delegation travelled alongside more than 200 decision makers, UITP members and journalists from across the European rail sector, providing a valuable opportunity to share UITP’s key messages with policymakers and stakeholders alike.
During the journey, UITP’s President and Secretary-General were able to deliver UITP’s key points of the European public transport sector in several meetings with officials from DG MOVE, DG RTD, MEP Lena Schilling as well as partners from Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking.
Speaking at the Resilient Rail Workshop, President Gautier Brodeo emphasised that resilience rests on three pillars: staffing, systems and procedures, all supported by strong coordination and preparedness.
He shared perspectives on preparing rail for disruption and changing demand, and the discussion went on to explore resilience by design, the need for greater agility, and how innovation and emerging technologies can help railways respond more effectively when disruption occurs.
Mohamed Mezghani was a panellist on the Human Railway Workshop, alongside key contributors including MEP Lena Schilling. This panel focused on putting people themselves at the centre of rail. Inclusion was the primary theme, in particular the need to better consider the needs of women, both as passengers and as part of the rail workforce.
Mohamed championed the idea of reaching out to women specifically and emphasised designers should take a holistic approach and include women during the design phase. The discussion also covered European policy, digitalisation and the importance of making rail simpler and more accessible without losing the human element.
On board, UITP also hosted the Reunification Challenge, both a game and workshop made in-house which explored how public transport in East and West Berlin was brought back together and the role transport played in reconnecting a divided city.
On the Ground at InnoTrans
Once at InnoTrans, UITP took part in the Women in Mobility Luncheon, where Lidia Signor, UITP’s Head of Multimodal Mobility, spoke on how to keep increasingly automated public transport systems human. She highlighted the need to plan with people, involving a diverse group of users and workforce in designing vehicles, services and infrastructure.
It is also important to measure not just kilometres and passenger numbers but also to capture how people experience their journeys, including perceived safety and comfort along the whole trip. Finally, cooperating and integrating is also key to overcome fragmentation so that authorities, operators and other stakeholders work together towards Public Mobility.
Mohamed also spoke in the session “From Tracks to Transformation: How Metro Systems Shape Cities and Lives”, a discussion with metro operators from around the world on how metro systems drive lasting social, economic and urban development for their cities and communities.
After his intervention he took part in a panel discussion alongside a representative of Thessaloniki Metro, host city of the recent CIVITAS Forum, focusing on improving accessibility to metro systems.
During another intervention on the topic of intelligent rail, UITP’s recent publication on AI in smart rail was highlighted which was developed through knowledge sharing between UITP and the Chinese Association of Metros and explores how AI, digital twins and intelligent agents can support safer, more efficient and more inclusive rail, as well as the governance, skills and collaboration needed to make this happen.
Innovation projects in the spotlight
UITP’s involvement in third-party funded projects in the rail sector was on full display throughout the event. UITP rail members gathered informally at the UITP stand, with President Gautier Brodeo, an opportunity to promote two rail-focused EU-funded projects in which UITP is a partner: FP2-R2DATO and NEXUS.
Coordinated by Stamtech, the NEXUS project aims to make metro systems smarter, more efficient, and better suited to meet the demands of modern urban mobility.
A presentation and live demonstration of the recently concluded FP2-R2DATO project also took place at the CAF stand. All the insights from the FP2-R2DATO project can be found in our recent publication.
Meeting our Members and Partners
With the rail sector community in Berlin, it was a great opportunity to meet UITP members and partners. Several meetings took place throughout InnoTrans, including with Rheinbahn, ALAMYS, Modaxo, FlixTrain and UNIFE, the European Rail Supply Industry Association, just to name a few.
Our Secretary-General also spoke at the opening ceremony of the China Pavilion alongside the Ambassador of China to Germany, before also meeting with the American Public Transit Association (APTA), to discuss their Safety and Security programme that supports transit agencies and industry partners in protecting riders, staff and infrastructure across North America.
A highlight of the event was a visit to the UITP stand by Hamburg’s Senator for Transport and Mobility, Hans Anjes Tjarks, and State Councillor Martin Bill, reaffirming the close partnership between UITP and Hamburg, the host city of the UITP Summit 2027.
Looking ahead to Hamburg
If one message ran through UITP’s week at InnoTrans, it was that technology alone does not make great public transport. People do. That’s true for not only UITP itself, but also rail and public transport more generally. Whether the discussion was about resilience, AI in rail, inclusion or integrated Public Mobility, the answer kept coming back to collaboration: between operators and authorities, between industry and cities, and among colleagues across the sector.
That spirit now moves on to Hamburg, which hosts the UITP Summit 2027 in June. We hope to see you all there.